Theatre all at sea
September 18, 2008
Over the past few weeks we spent our holiday on the new P&O ship Ventura, which is marketed as the 21st Century Superliner designed for Britain. Being the editor for the Whatsonstage North East site meant that the entertainment, especially the on board theatre, was of great interest and a major part of our holiday.
With this in mind, I contacted the on board Cruise Director Neil Oliver and he kindly arranged a backstage tour of the 785 seater Arena Theatre, which is not normally available to passengers.
Our meeting was arranged for the last sea day, as we made our way back across the Bay of Biscay which was fairly rough and made the tour all the more interesting as the ground was moving beneath us! But for Neil it was all in a day’s work and so far no show has had to be cancelled in the venue due to the weather. With the alternating shows being between large productions shows to stand up comedians and solo singers, the running order can be changed, should the weather be a concern.
We waited to meet Neil as the packed theatre emptied following his mid morning interview with master chef Marco Pierre White, who has his own restaurant, The White Room, on board.
Ne
il used to be a professional dancer, before joining P&O sixteen years ago and now literally leads from the front in his demanding role. He is always dressed immaculately and makes all the announcements before and after each show in the Arena Theatre, as well as leading his entertainment staff in the sing along sailaways (in Lisbon this lasted one and a quarter hours) and still has time to chat to passengers as he makes his way around the ship. Being the gentleman that he is, Neil extended the invitation not only to me but to my family. However, due to our youngest daughter suffering from the rough seas, only my elder daughter and I were able to accept the invitation.
He first showed us the sound and lighting equipment, and we were introduced to John (who had only recently joined the ship) who runs the sound for the shows from an open box position in the rear of the theatre . This was followed by a trip on to the stage and in to the wings.
The complex flying system allows sets to disappear from the stage in to the fly tower, which is three decks high and there is a series of state of the art video projectors and screens ,which give a brilliant audiovisual experience, best used in the stage production Chronicles. But could be utilised for talks or seminars held in the venue
The first thing that struck me was how spacious the wings were compared to what I expected, as having a different show on most 
nights, everything has to be kept in its place. We made our way past giant cobra statues to the safari golf buggy that had featured in the previous show which was parked in the wings. Stagehands then drove the buggy in to the centre of the stage before a lift took it below the stage, where a lot of scenery is stored.
There are two dressing rooms each with a monitor showing what is happening on stage and a fantastic system to store costumes. Basically, there is a rail running from backstage that weaves it way up in to the fly tower. The rail has a series of hooks for coat hangers to be placed on, each one being numbered. All the cast have to do is to type in a code number and their costumes descend from anywhere on the rail. This allows the dry cleaners to replace clean clothes in position for the cast and makes storing the costumes very easy. Way above our heads we could see the beautiful white dress Lisa has worn (to sing “Memory” from CATS) disappear from view as the rails moved and in front us arrived a pair of red trousers labelled for Miles to wear during that evenings show. (Yes we did spot them during the dance routine to the song Fever)
As the Theatre hosts four major shows, during a normal two week cruise, as well as a production by the pool, for which the sets are kept under the stage, it is vital everything has to be in its place. On the nights when there is no show, the venue usually has a singer or comedian perform two shows.
Production shows are performed three times a night, usually 7, 8.45 and 10.45, allowing passengers to see the show before or after dinner, although the early show is the easiest to get a seat at, as the last shows are usually standing room only. For some reason people seem to want to see a show after dinner rather than before, which would allow them to eat around 8.30 after the 7 p.m. performance and have the rest of the night to enjoy the facilities on board.
All the on board shows are produced by and directed by Jean Ann Ryan productions, a leading name in international theatrical productions.
During our time on Ventura the international cast of singers and dancers performed six major productions. Five were held in the Arena Theatre while one, Plunder was by one of the swimming pools. Make no mistake, it was not just the cast at the pool, as during the previous night designers transformed the pool, by taking away railings and building a massive skull (it must have been around 12 feet high)at one end. This closed the pool for the next day until the cast gave two performances of their production Plunder. The following day the pool was reopened and working as normal, with the sets disappearing during the night.
In the Arena Theatre we had Grande Illusion, Chronicles (set in the jungle), Explosion (featuring songs from shows such as High School Musical and Hairspray) to a specially commissioned version of Saturday Night Fever (present by Robert Stigwood) and the highlight Masquerade. This production featured the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and his Really Useful Group (RUG) had been involved in the show from rehearsals, that started while the ship was still being built in Italy. Even today RUG will check the show to ensure its quality, but rest assured it is in safe hands with a young a vibrant on board company and Neil at the helm.
A cruise means different things to different people and the Ventura tries to capture a family market, with facilities ranging from fine dining to high class shows in the Arena Theatre. Of course on top of these there are numerous other venues where you can hear 
singers, enter quizzes or listen to comedians, all under the watchful eye of Neil Oliver.
We noticed that whatever the entertainment was, from a chat by Neil with Marco Pierre White, a discussion by ice skater Nicky Slater, a family quiz or a production in the Arena Theatre, Neil had everything running on time. On our last evening we saw the first performance of Explosion, had dinner and returned to see the 10.45 performance, a cruise gives you that flexibility.
Neil kindly gave Whatsonstage the opportunity to catch a glimpse of backstage life on the Ventura and we hope to keep in touch with him and bring you any entertainment updates.
Comments
Got something to say?
-
Recent Posts
Advertisement
Other Regional Sites